Westcliff on Sea

"Westcliff" redirects here. For other uses, see Westcliff (disambiguation).

Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea is located in Essex
Westcliff-on-Sea
Westcliff-on-Sea
Location within Essex
Population21,108 (2011 Census. Chalkwell and Milton Wards)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ865855
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWESTCLIFF-ON-SEA
Postcode districtSS0
Dialling code01702
PoliceEssex
FireEssex
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Essex
51°32′09″N 0°41′49″E / 51.5359°N 0.6970°E / 51.5359; 0.6970

Westcliff-on-Sea (often abbreviated to Westcliff, and in the past spelt as Westcliffe-on-Sea[2][3]) is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, located within the ceremonial county of Essex, England.[4] It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 34 miles (55 km) east of London. The Westcliff-on-Sea area is described by Southend-on-Sea City Council as having a border in the east with Milton Road, Hamlet Court Road and Gainsborough Drive; Prittlewell Chase to the North and Valkyrie Road/ London Road/ Southbourne Grove in the west.[5] Traditionally Westcliff included Chalkwell.[a]

Geography

View south-east over the Thames Estuary to the Isle of Grain, Kent from the shore at Westcliff-On-Sea

The cliffs formed by erosion of the local quaternary geology give views over the Thames Estuary towards the Kent coastline to the south. The coastline has been transformed into sandy beaches through the use of groynes and imported sand. The estuary at this point has extensive mud flats. At low tide, the water typically retreats some 600 m from the beach, leaving the mud flats exposed.

History

The southern area of what is now known as Westcliff, south of the London Road, was known as Milton or Milton Hamlet until the period 1860–1880[8] when the Milton Estate and surrounding land was sold to speculators who preferred the name Westcliff-on-Sea.[9] By the time the station opened in 1895, it was named Westcliff not Milton.[10] The area between Milton Road and Hamlet Court Road was named The Hamlet by the original developers Brassey, Peto, Betts & Co. when they developed it as a "high class suburban retreat".[9] Milton Hall (demolished 1900) was on the site of the what is now Nazareth House[11] on the London Road. Hamlet Court was a large house in the area between Hamlet Court Road, Canewdon Road, and Ditton Court Road and was demolished in 1929.[10]

Governance

Westcliff-on-Sea is covered by several wards under Southend-on-Sea City Council, including some that fall outside of the designated area of Westcliff. The wards are:

  • Westborough Ward
  • Milton Ward
  • Victoria Ward
  • Prittlewell Ward

Westborough Ward

Westborough
Westborough Ward Within Southend-on-Sea
Population11,064 [12]
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
UK Parliament
Councillors
  • Aston Line (Labour)
  • Kevin Robinson (Labour)
  • Anne Jones (Labour)
List of places
UK
England
Essex

Westborough is an electoral ward of Southend-on-Sea covering the urban area of Westcliff-on-Sea. The ward starts at Southbourne Grove in the West, Prittlewell Brook to the North, Wenham Drive in the East and London Road/West Road in the south.[13]

Councillors

May 2010 Paul Collins (Lib) Martin Terry (Independent) Dr Vel (Independent)
May 2011 Paul Collins (Lib) Martin Terry (Independent) Dr Vel (Independent)
May 2012 Paul Collins (Lib) Martin Terry (Independent) Dr Vel (Independent)
May 2014 Kevin Robinson (Lab) Michael Royston (Lab) Dr Vel (Independent)
May 2015 Kevin Robinson (Lab) Charles Willis (Lab) Dr Vel (Independent)
May 2016 Kevin Robinson (Lab) Charles Willis (Lab) Anne Jones (Lab)
May 2018 Kevin Robinson (Lab) Charles Willis (Lab) Anne Jones (Lab)
May 2019 Kevin Robinson (Lab) Charles Willis (Lab) Anne Jones (Lab)
May 2021
May 2022

  Indicates Councillor elected that year.

Elections in the 2010s

2019 Southend Local Elections:Westborough
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charles Willis 857 40.2 Decrease12.2
Independent Dr Vel (Marimuthu Velmurugan)[14] 391 18.3 New
Conservative Jack Warren 340 15.9 Decrease8.8
Green Stephen Jordan 259 12.1 Increase6.1
Liberal Democrats Billy Boulton 152 7.1 Decrease0.9
Independent Alan Hart 134 6.3 Decrease2.6
Majority 466 21.8 Decrease7.0
Turnout 2,133 28.0 Decrease0.5
Labour hold Swing Decrease1.7
2018 Southend Local Elections:Westborough
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Kevin Robinson 1,146 52.4 Increase18.5
Conservative Jack Warren 539 24.7 Increase10.2
Independent Alan Hart 194 8.9 Increase5.1
Liberal Democrats Billy Boulton 175 8.0 Increase2.2
Green Paul Mansfield 131 6.0 Decrease0.1
Majority 607 27.8 Increase16.0
Turnout 2,185 28.5 —
Labour hold Swing Increase4.2

No Independent (−22.1) or UKIP (−12.9) candidates as previous.

Milton Ward

Milton
Milton Ward Within Southend-On-Sea
Population11,291 [15]
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
UK Parliament
Councillors
  • Cheryl Nevin (Labour)
  • Kay Mitchell (Labour)
  • Stephen George (Labour)
List of places
UK
England
Essex

Milton is an electoral ward of Southend-on-Sea covering the seafront area west of Southend town centre and the eastern side of the inner city area of Westcliff-on-Sea. It is represented by three local government councillors, each elected to serve a four-year term. The wards boundaries are the seafront in the south, the Queensway ring road in the east, Valkyrie Road in the west and London Road in the north.[16]

Councillors

These are the councillors elected for Milton ward.

May 2002 Ann Robertson (Con) Jonathan Garston (Con) Raymond Davy (Con)
May 2003 Ann Robertson (Con) Jonathan Garston (Con) Raymond Davy (Con)
May 2004 Ann Robertson (Con) Jonathan Garston (Con) Raymond Davy (Con)
May 2006 Ann Robertson (Con) Jonathan Garston (Con) Raymond Davy (Con)
May 2007 Ann Robertson (Con) Jonathan Garston (Con) Raymond Davy (Con)
May 2008 Ann Robertson (Con) Jonathan Garston (Con) Nigel Folkard (Con)
May 2010 Maria Caunce (Con) Jonathan Garston (Con) Nigel Folkard (Con)
May 2011 Maria Caunce (Con) Jonathan Garston (Con) Nigel Folkard (Con)
May 2012 Maria Caunce (Con) Jonathan Garston (Con) Julian Ware-Lane (Lab)
May 2014 Cheryl Nevin (Lab) Jonathan Garston (Con) Julian Ware-Lane (Lab)
May 2015 Cheryl Nevin (Lab) Jonathan Garston (Con) Julian Ware-Lane (Lab)
May 2016 Cheryl Nevin (Lab) Jonathan Garston (Con) Julian Ware-Lane (Lab)
May 2018 Cheryl Nevin (Lab) Jonathan Garston (Con) Julian Ware-Lane (Lab)
March 2019 Cheryl Nevin (Lab) Jonathan Garston (Con) Stephen George (Lab)
May 2019 Cheryl Nevin (Lab) Kay Mitchell (Lab) Stephen George (Lab)

  Indicates Councillor elected that year.   Indicates Councillor defected to the Conservatives.

Elections in the 2010s

2019 Southend Local Elections:Milton (May 2nd)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Kay Mitchell 1,101 49.1 Decrease0.8
Conservative Jonathan Garston 634 28.3 Decrease3.3
Green Vida Guildford 285 12.7 Increase7.0
Liberal Democrats Carol White 223 9.9 Decrease3.2
Majority 467 20.8 Increase2.5
Turnout 2,243 27.7 Increase7.1
Labour gain from Conservative Swing Increase1.3

Green party candidate compared to 2018 election. No For Britain (-5.3) as previous.

2019 Milton by-election (March 21st)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stephen George 833 49.9 Decrease0.8
Conservative Garry Lowen 528 31.6 Decrease0.6
Liberal Democrats Carol White 219 13.1 Increase8.6
For Britain James Quail 89 5.3 New
Majority 305 18.3 Decrease0.1
Turnout 1,669 20.6 Decrease10.9
Labour hold Swing Decrease2.2
2018 Southend Local Elections:Milton (May 3rd)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Cheryl Nevin 1,305 50.7 Increase5.4
Conservative Garry Lowen 832 32.2 Increase5.9
Independent Stephen Cummins 177 6.9 Increase1.4
Green Vida Guilford 146 5.7 Decrease0.6
Liberal Democrats Bob Howes 116 4.5 Increase1.0
Majority 473 18.4 —
Turnout 2,576 31.5 —
Labour hold Swing Decrease0.3

Transport

The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway route passing through the suburb was completed to Southend in 1856 but the Westcliff railway station in Station Road was not opened until 1895.[17] It is now managed by c2c.

Education

Westcliff is served by two selective secondary schools: Westcliff High School for Girls and Westcliff High School for Boys, two Catholic secondary schools: St Thomas More High School for boys and St Bernard's High School, Westcliff-on-Sea for girls, and the non selective Chase High School.

Architecture

Several areas of Westcliff have been classified as conservation areas: Clifftown bordering Southend town centre and including Prittlewell Square gardens, Shorefield and the Leas towards the sea front, and Milton focused on the Park Estate between Park Street and Milton Road. The Milton Conservation Area includes the Grade II listed building which was formerly the Wesleyan Chapel (Park Road Methodist Church)[18] it was completed in 1872 to the design of Elijah Hoole (1837-1912)[19] and was Southend's first permanent Methodist Church.[20]

Westcliff contains a number of other Grade II listed buildings, Our Lady Help of Christians and St Helen's Church in Milton Road, the Church of Saint Alban the Martyr in St John's Road, the former Havens department store in Hamlet Court Road, Marteg House in Annerley Road, Westcliff Library in London Road and the Palace Theatre.[21] The official list entries for these are available from Historic England on the National Heritage List for England.[22]

Economy

The main shopping area in Westcliff-on-Sea is Hamlet Court Road, where the department store Havens established itself in 1901, and remained the anchor store until its closure in 2017.[23] Hamlet Court Road took its name from a manor house called the Hamlet Court, which stood on land now occupied by Pavarotti's restaurant and adjoining shops, facing towards the sea with sweeping gardens down to the rail line. The road later developed into a strong independent retail area and quickly became famous outside the area as the Bond Street of Essex.[24][25] There were many haberdashers and specialist shops, and it was not too unusual to see chauffeurs waiting for their employers to emerge from the shops.

The economic recessions of the 1980s and 1990s saw the area decline. The road underwent a £1 million regeneration in the early 2000s and a further regeneration in 2010. Further plans have been put forward by Southend-on-Sea City Council to pedestrianise half of the street,[26] while the local historical organisation, the Milton Society is campaigning to regenerate the road on the lines of Margate and the Cathedral Quarter in Derby.[27]

The Milton Ward in Westcliff is one of the most deprived areas in England. The ward is mostly in the top 20% most deprived areas in the East of England, but some of the ward is in the top 10% most deprived areas in the country.[28]

Leisure

The Parade at Westcliff-on-Sea (1903)

The two main theatres in Westcliff are the Cliffs Pavilion, which overlooks the seafront, and the Palace Theatre situated on the London Road.[29]

Westcliff-on-Sea is also home to the Thames Estuary Yacht Club and the Genting Casino Westcliff. Westcliff RFC currently play in National League 2 East, the fourth tier of the English rugby union system.

In Literature

Westcliff is the location for the French novel Un souvenir by Michel Déon.[30]

Notable people

A large white house, partly with pitched roofs, and one section being surmounted by a tower-like structure with windows set in.
Matcham's house in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex

References

  1. ^ Church of England terms.[6][7]

Preview of references

  1. ^ "Southend Ward population 2011". Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  2. ^ "A visit to Southend". British Film Institute. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  3. ^ "London Tilbury and Southend Railway". The Railway News. 5 June 1897. p. 888.
  4. ^ Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 178 Thames Estuary (Rochester & Southend-on-Sea) (Map). Ordnance Survey. 2014. ISBN 9780319229675.
  5. ^ "Southend Local Plan". Southend-on-Sea City Council. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  6. ^ Church of England parish finder "Westcliff: St Saviour's Church"
  7. ^ Church of England parish finder "Westcliff: St Michael and All Angels"
  8. ^ Pearce, Marion. (2000). Milton, Chalkwell, and the Crowstone. Romford: Ian Henry. p. 1. ISBN 0-86025-510-7. OCLC 46570209.
  9. ^ a b Pearce, Marion. (2000). Milton, Chalkwell, and the Crowstone. Romford: Ian Henry. p. 41. ISBN 0-86025-510-7. OCLC 46570209.
  10. ^ a b Pearce, Marion. (2000). Milton, Chalkwell, and the Crowstone. Romford: Ian Henry. pp. 46–49. ISBN 0-86025-510-7. OCLC 46570209.
  11. ^ Pearce, Marion. (2000). Milton, Chalkwell, and the Crowstone. Romford: Ian Henry. p. 35. ISBN 0-86025-510-7. OCLC 46570209.
  12. ^ Council, Southend-on-Sea Borough. "Southend-on-Sea Borough Council download - Ward Profiles - About the Council - Information Centre - Southend Insights". www.southend.gov.uk.
  13. ^ "Westborough Ward". Southend-on-Sea City Council. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  14. ^ Geoghegan, John. "Expenses led Westborough's Dr Vel to take a stand". Echo. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Milton Ward Profile" (PDF). Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Milton Ward Map". Southend-on-Sea City Council. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  17. ^ James Bettley and Nikolaus Pevsner (2007). Essex. The Buildings of England. Yale University Press. p. 712.
  18. ^ Holmes, Katherine. "Milton Conservation Area". www.southend.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  19. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1954). Essex. Buildings of England. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. p. 326.
  20. ^ Pearce, Marion. (2000). Milton, Chalkwell, and the Crowstone. Romford: Ian Henry. p. 56. ISBN 0-86025-510-7. OCLC 46570209.
  21. ^ Nelson, Rob. "Listed Buildings". www.southend.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  22. ^ "National Heritage List for England". Historic England.
  23. ^ "End of an era as Havens store prepares to close after almost 100 years on the high street - Evening Echo p.12 May 2017". Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  24. ^ "Hamlet Court Road street party filmed for BBC show - Evening Echo p.6 June 2013". 6 June 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  25. ^ Cohen, Philip; Rustin, Michael J. (January 2008). London's Turning - The making of Thames Gateway - Edited by Philip Cohen & Michael J. Rustin page 219. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 9780754670636. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  26. ^ "Half of Hamlet Court Road could be pedestrianised". Evening Echo. 17 March 2023.
  27. ^ "Regeneration". Milton Society. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  28. ^ "Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004" (PDF). 2004. Southend-on-Sea Borough Council.
  29. ^ "Southend Theatres". www.southendtheatres.org.uk. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  30. ^ "Un souvenir (TV)". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  31. ^ a b Pearce, Marion. (2000). Milton, Chalkwell, and the Crowstone. Romford: Ian Henry. p. 46. ISBN 0-86025-510-7. OCLC 46570209.
  32. ^ a b "Southend Timeline". Southend Timeline. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  33. ^ "Obituary - John Barber". aronline.co.uk. 13 November 2004. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  34. ^ Bate, Dorothea Minola Alice (1878–1951), palaeontologist by Karolyn Shindler in Dictionary of National Biography online (accessed 23 November 2007)
  35. ^ Pearce, Marion. (2000). Milton, Chalkwell, and the Crowstone. Romford: Ian Henry. p. 47. ISBN 0-86025-510-7. OCLC 46570209.
  36. ^ Webster, Richard; Clement, Dick; la Frenais, Ian (2001). Porridge The Inside Story. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 0-7472-3294-6.
  37. ^ Staff. "Geoffrey Crawley, who has died aged 83, was a scientific journalist specialising in photography and in 1982 exposed the world's longest-running photographic hoax – the myth of the so-called Cottingley Fairies.", The Daily Telegraph, November 7, 2010. accessed November 10, 2010.
  38. ^ "All you need to know about the Ireland U19 starlet who's just made his full debut for West Ham". The42. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  39. ^ Robert Skidelsky, "Jean Floud obituary", The Guardian, 3 April 2013.
  40. ^ "Edward Greenfield Writer Obituary". The Telegraph. 3 July 2015.
  41. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  42. ^ "Wilko Johnson - ARU". aru.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  43. ^ "Guitar legend Wilko back home after operation". Echo. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  44. ^ "Mr Frank Matcham Dead". Western Daily Press. 19 May 1920. p. 10.
  45. ^ "Player profile: Hugh Sells". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  46. ^ Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, "Sir Bernard Williams, 73, Oxford Philosopher, Dies", The New York Times, 14 June 2003.